Hola all.
Have been living here in Switzerland for a couple years now; met some good guys/gals here (local and expats) but am ALWAYS looking for more partners to explore the many resorts in the area, or to go snowshoeing backcountry.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video...51629687908975

A bit about me. I am not the guy that prefers to wake up between 8:30 and 10am, to drive 20 minutes to the nearest resort. While those days are needed at times after a (real) long night, not my normal fashion.

Up for close and distance trips. Coming from San Francisco, it is normal to me to get up early to drive 3-4 hrs to get to Tahoe. I find it easy, exhilarating (and awesome) to jump in the car, and take off on a journey (2-4 hr day trip) to some distant, new resort.

www.bergfex.com is bookmarked on my computers, and have the app on my iPhone, helping me follow storms, and helping me keep up to date with the resort hit-list. Once I determine where I am headed, normally where there is/was the most/best snowfall, I am up and hitting the road early, striving to be at the resort 15-30 minutes before it opens, so I can beat the herds of people, get in the lift line, and be the first on the mountain.

First tracks. Love em. Willing to do what it takes to find em. If you are the same, let me know.

Being that I live in Altstatten, SG, 10 minutes from the Austrian border, I bought the drei taeler pass. Am typically on the mountain 1-2 times a week, normally at Damuls, or Warth-Schrocken. But open to explore.

While many of the locals I have met here think I am crazy for driving 2-3 hrs each way, I am used to it. Listen to the radio, enjoy some conversation and good sights. We live in the alps. Countless awesome resorts in Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France (and Slovenia) are beckoning to be ridden.

If you are eager to explore and visit different resorts, let me know. Am always reliable, and always good for a few laughs.

You are welcome to jojn our outdoor group, which in the winter is essentially a ski/snowboard outing, although we seem to gave a gaggle of snow-shoeers in the last few. We certainly meet once a month, also more frequently as the urge takes us.
Have a look at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/liftyourfeet/

Appreciate the invite. I visited the facebook page and gave it a look. Will look into the group further, and consider coming for one of the group snowshoe trips. Could be fun.

Thanks again, and have a great weekend.

Peter

Hitting Chamonix this Saturday, staying for a week, and it's dumping 2 feet over next two days and more in the week.

If you happen to make it down one day, holla.

Chamonix...after this upcoming storm...Awesome. Enjoy that!! Wish I could. Wife is traveling for the next two weeks, so, will be watching our little one until she returns. I am going to the Burton European Open next Friday, at Laax, to see the Men's Halfpipe Finals, and snowboard a bit. Any takers?

Have a great time in Chamonix. Have you been to Chamonix before? Have been doing a good deal of research into the area recently, looking into lodging, activities, backcountry guides, Vallee blanche, best tree runs, best ski areas, and heli-skiing. Planning on spending several days there soon. Hope I get your luck with fresh snow.

After my wife returns two friends from California arrive. We are going to be doing as follows: Damuls-Mellau (AT), Ischgl-Samnaun (AT/ CH), St. Anton am Arlberg (AT), Flims-LAAX-Falera (CH), Breuil-Cervinia and Zermatt (IT/CH), Chamonix-Courmayeur-Verbier (FR/IT/CH)... or maybe flip-flop Chamonix and Zermatt. Planning....planning....planning

Going to be an epic trip starting on Feb. 20.

I only been there once before, mid April 2012, after the US tax deadline workload was out the way, we headed down there and were fortunate with the late dump they had. Took the season well into May. It was fantastic, I was only there 3 days, of which only 2 were skiable due to conditions, so didn't get to explore as much as I will do next week. The wideboys (Salomon Sentinel's) have been collecting dust since I purchased pre-season so I am very keen to hit the powder in them.

When are you in Courcheval? We have a 14 man army heading to the Three Valleys in March, 16-24, I have not been there before but it looks immense. Looking forward to Val Thorens specifically.

Just spent a week in Zug am Arlberg, exploring Lech/Zürs/St. Anton. Pretty great time. If you get a fresh dump, pretty much everywhere around is good, but we hit the Muggengrat chair in Zürs a couple days after a dump and it was still relatively untouched (beautiful powderfields leading into small powder filled canyons you can ride like a halfpipe). If you're willing to hike, it's even better. Tons of side-country (and even what I would call backcountry) that you can hit if you have a pair of snowshoes.

St. Anton is crowded and kind of crappy (just steep and icy), in my opinion, but the chairs/gondolas from there lead to some really nice stuff. I had a good ol time bombing from the Mattunjoch back down to the chair leading to Galzig, but there was a recent avalanche debris field that kinda messed things up - hopefully it's covered by now. Anyway, moral of the story is there will certainly be pow turns available, the recency of the snow and your willingness to hike will determine how many. Enjoy

BTW, I'm of same mind - I used to drive 3-4 hours to southern CO from NM to make first tracks at Wolf Creek or Purg.

Correction...my bad... Courmayeur. (Courmayeur-Chamonix-Verbier).

Tres Vallees is supposed to be enormous.

Tignes/ Val D'Isere and Courchevel-Val Thorens are a few places I really want to try to visit this year. Had a customer who was in Val Thorens for two weeks over the holidays. He said it was great. Massive.

Sounds like great trips you have planned. Chamonix for a week. Val Thorens. 14 people. Wow. I need to move closer to the French Side of Switzerland.

Dust off the ski's and get em' ready. Pow is waiting.

Agree with you about St. Anton. Living here near the Austrian border, I can take the train and arrive in ~90 min via Buchs, CH and Feldkirch, AT. Spent many days there. Great resort mid-week after a fresh dump. I prefer to get in early, and enjoy Mattunjoch, Zammermoos, and the trees out of bounds between Kapall and Nasserein. Tree runs there can be pretty nice. Glad to hear you had some nice turns.

And when it turns icy and crowded....Mooserwirt awaits.

Cool to hear you were skiing in CO. Ever visited Taos, NM? I have visited Ski Apache in Ruidoso quite a bit, when living in El Paso. Also drove from Texas up to Southern Co. Always wanted to visit wolf creek. Hear the snow there is some of the best in the world. Snow hole

Nice - very jealous of your location

BTW, if you've explored St Anton a bunch - have you ever taken the route around Valluga to Zürs? Found some youtube vids of it, but I don't have snowshoes and avalanche gear (or willing partners) so I didn't want to risk it. Looked pretty damn cool though.

Would love to do that hike. Have wanted to since visiting here for the first time years ago. Knew it had to be possible. Would be keen to hire a guide for the day. Not trying to fall in some crack. But. Game to give it a go.

I have avalanche gear, and have friends that are guides here with extra shovels, transistors and probes. Also have a friend that owns Outdoor Products GMbH in Widnau. Friend lets me borrow snowshoes & wanderstucke (telescoping poles) for friends whenever I need. I have the MSR lightning Ascents myself.

Im picking up 3 Berryvox Transistors later today actually, and my new avalanche backpack. Still on the fence about ABS Vario pack or Mammut Ride 30L (Snowpulse).

Cool - just getting in the mood to learn backcountry stuff after a few seasons of screwing around offpiste, but would need the requisite training and gear. Mebbe I'll take a look at your friend for the course, if they offer one.

Anyway, I think to make that trek you'd require a guide, but sure looks like fun. Very steep on the other side.

As you'll know, I work part-time at Prime in Engelberg, who work in conjunction with the Engelberg mountain guides and offer the technical side of freeride instruction, where the guides run periodic avalanche safety courses. Details here for you or anyone else that's interested in progressing their off-piste skiing and safety.

Wouldn't normally be me doing this, BTW, as we tend to use the top-qualified guys for this sort of thing. (Although my BASI qualification does allow it).

A quick glance at the site shows they do it for skiers only, it seems - is it possible for snowboarders too? I know it will suck to have to wait for a snowboarder to trudge along in snowshoes, though...

seems like a mission for EF search function/google, anyway

Didn't realise you were a boarder. The avalanche course shouldn't matter at all, but at Prime we don't do snowboarding, leaving that to our partners at boardlocal.ch

Have no problem hiring a guide to take us on the route. Could be fun down the road. Steeps, love em.

I'd say we schedule a day at a resort, have a few turns, carve it up a bit, and see where that takes us.



Have a great weekend.

Peter

I would be interested in getting a day of cruising some pow on the books. I am yet to visit Engelberg, or other surrounding resorts that from the sound of it, you have a good knowledge of. Thanks for the information.

I was thinking of hitting the Aletsch Arena tomorrow. Anyone fancy joining me? I was planning on taking the 5.59am train to Bern, and should be on the slopes by 9am. If you fancy joining me feel free to look out for a tall guy with a hat with "City" on it or msg back.

Sorry I missed this. Took a look at the trail map. Looks like a good place.

Have some good snow?

I have two friends coming into town from California tomorrow, and then we will be looking at heading to Ischgl, St Anton, Damuls, Davos, LAAX, Zermatt, and a few other resorts either in Austria, France, Italy or Switzerland.

If anyone would like to come along for some skiing/snowboarding, and would like to have some fun, let me know. Cheers.

Hey!

I like your attitude.

I would be happy to ride with you, and i don't care about a slightly longer drive to explore a new resort and be the first on the mountain.

Will be doing weekends in the mountains for the rest of the season, so hopefully we will be able to find a day that works.

Cheers, Max